Jul 30, 2009

Roti Jala (Lacy pancake / Net bread)- The name is derived from the Malay word 'roti' (bread) and 'jala' (net). A special ladle with a five-hole perforation is normally used, to make the bread looks like a fish net . I don't have this mold , but i wanted to try this recipe. So my hubby made me a mold using a styrofoam cup. Yeah....he made 4 holes at the bottom and my roti jala mold was ready.

In a big bowl, whisk the egg and add all other ingredients except oil and mix well. Heat a pan over medium heat and grease with the oil. Pour the batter into roti jala mold and transfer the mold to the pan in circular motion around the pan, it will look like a net. Once the top is cooked, fold into a triangle shape and transfer into the plate. Traditionally this will be served with spicy chicken curry or Serawa. Serawa is made from a mixture of boiled coconut milk, brown sugar and pandan leaf, I tried it with a spicy curry and I will post the recipe later.

Jul 22, 2009

I always love the spicy breads. I tried from "the bread book" by Sara Lewis. I made this bread on a rainy weekend, it just came out perfect. We enjoyed this bread with soybean soup and a cup of hot tea. I added few ingredients to the original recipe to make it a bit spicier.

Heat 1 tsp of oil in small skillet, shallow-fry the garlic, cumin and sesame seeds one by one, keep aside.Grease a 7"X3" loaf pan and keep aside. In a large mixing bowl, add all the dry ingredients with butter, cheese, chilies, onion, fried cumin , garlic and sesame seeds. Whisk the eggs, milk and yogurt together in another bowl, add to the dry ingredients and mix well. Spoon the mixture in to the cake tin and bake in a preheated oven, 325 F for 45-55 minutes or until risen and turned golden on top. Check the bread by poking with a skewer, if it is comes out clean then the bread is ready. Transfer to a wire rack and let it cool.

Jul 16, 2009

Lemons are said to have been first found in North India, China and Burma, and was introduced in Persia, Arab countries, Iraq and Egypt in around 700 AD. Lemon trees were grown as ornamental trees in Mediterranean gardens. The drink we now recognize as lemonade may have origins in a mix of lemon juice and honey wine popular in Egypt some 1500 years ago.

Lemonade is the French word for their original unsweetened version combined with either still or carbonated water.Click here to know more about lemonade.

In a small saucepan, bring sugar and water to a boil under medium heat until the sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat and let it cool completely.

Blueberry Lemonade :

In a big container, add simple syrup, lemon juice and water to make lemonade. Squeeze a few blueberries in ¼ cup of water to get the flavor and color. Filter the big chunks and pour the blue berry flavored water along with the rest of the blueberries into the lemonade mix. Stir well and garnish with mint strings. Add water and Ice per your taste.

Jul 13, 2009

The Curry Tree or Karivepallai or Kadipatta (Tamil: கறிவேப்பிலை) (Murraya koenigii; syn. Bergera koenigii, Chalcas koenigii) is a tropical to sub-tropical tree in the family Rutaceae, which is native to India. It produces the leaves known as Curry leaves or Sweet Neem leaves.

The curry leaf tree is native to India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and the Andaman Islands. Later spread by Indian migrants, they now grow in other areas of the world where Indian immigrants settled. Widely cultivated, the leaves are particularly associated with South Indian cuisines. The use of curry leaves as a flavouring for vegetables is described in early Tamil literature dating back to the 1st to 4th centuries AD. Its use is also mentioned a few centuries later in Kannada literature. Curry leaves are still closely associated with South India where the word 'curry' originates from the Tamil 'kari' for spiced sauces.Click here to know more about the history of curry leaves.

Grind all the ingredients except oil, add 1-2 Tbsp of water if you need. In a heavy bottom pan, add 2 Tbsp of oil. Add the ground curry leaves paste and stir until all the water evaporates from the paste. Add this paste to the rice and mix well. Add more paste or salt per your taste. Can store this paste in refrigerator for 1-2 weeks.